Process to manufacture tufted backing materials

Abstract

A process to manufacture tufted backing materials comprises the steps of a) providing a roll bearing a backing material which backing material comprises a first side exhibiting a first colour and a second side exhibiting a second colour, wherein the first colour is different from the second colour, the first side is the front side and the second side is the rear side, b) unwinding the backing material from the roll, c) tufting the backing material, d) cutting the backing material at a position between the roll bearing the backing material and the tufting device, e) rotating the roll bearing the backing material by an angle of 180°, f) unwinding the backing material from the roll in a second unwinding direction which is opposite to the first unwinding direction and guiding the backing material into the tufting device, and g) tufting the backing material. A backing material for tufted carpets or filters comprising a first woven or non-woven layer having a second colour different from the first one is also described.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A process to manufacture tufted backing materials comprising:
 a) providing a roll bearing a backing material, the backing material comprising a first side exhibiting a first color and a second side exhibiting a second color, wherein the first color is different from the second color, the first side is the front side and the second side is the rear side, 
 b) unwinding the backing material from the roll in a first unwinding direction and guiding the backing material into a tufting device provided with tufting means, so that the first side exhibiting the first color faces the tufting means of the tufting device, 
 c) tufting the backing material with the tufting means of the tufting device until a desired amount of a tufted backing material provided with tufts extending from the second side exhibiting the second color has been manufactured, 
 d) cutting the backing material at a position between the roll bearing the backing material and the tufting device, 
 e) rotating the roll bearing the backing material by an angle of 180° so that the first side exhibiting the first color is the rear side and the second side exhibiting the second color is the front side, 
 f) unwinding the backing material from the roll in a second unwinding direction which is opposite to the first unwinding direction and guiding the backing material into the tufting device provided with tufting means, so that the second side exhibiting the second color faces the tufting means of the tufting device, and 
 g) tufting the backing material with the tufting means of the tufting device until a desired amount of a tufted backing material provided with tufts extending from the first side exhibiting the first color has been manufactured. 
 
     
     
       2. The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the backing material comprises at least one layer of a nonwoven. 
     
     
       3. The process according to  claim 2 , wherein the nonwoven comprises bicomponent fibers. 
     
     
       4. The process according to  claim 3 , wherein the bicomponent fibers are core/sheath fibers. 
     
     
       5. The process according to  claim 4 , wherein the core comprises a thermoplastic polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polyamide (PA), polybutyleneterephthalate (PBT), polytrimethyleneterephthalate (PTT), polyphenylenesulfide (PPS), polyethylenenaphthalate (PEN), polyethyleneimide (PEI), polylactic acid (PLA) and polyoxymethylene (POM). 
     
     
       6. The process according to  claim 4 , wherein the sheath comprises a thermoplastic polymer selected from the group consisting of polyamide (PA), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) or copolymers thereof, polybutyleneterephthalate (PBT), polylactic acid (PLA) and aliphatic polyesters. 
     
     
       7. The process according to  claim 4 , wherein the bicomponent fibers comprise a core of polyethyleneterephthalate and a sheath of polyamide or of polypropylene. 
     
     
       8. The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the first color is black and the second color is grey. 
     
     
       9. The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the first color is white and the second color is grey. 
     
     
       10. The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the first color is black and the second color is white.